Torta Ahogada!

Carnitas

3 lb lard
3.5-4 lb boneless fatty pork butt, cut into large chunks
5 cloves garlic, smashed
1 small onion, roughly chopped
2 bay leaves
1 lime, thinly sliced
1 cinnamon stick
5 cloves
½ tsp cumin
1 orange, juiced
12 oz mexican coca-cola
¼ condensed milk

Spicy Tomato Broth

6-8 roma tomatoes
1 large white onion, roughly chopped
6 chiles de árbol, stemmed
6 cloves garlic, divided
1 jalapeno
½ tsp oregano
Kosher salt
Black Pepper

Pickled Red Onion

1 small red onion, thinly sliced
2 limes, juiced
2 tsp kosher salt

Refried Beans

2-3 Tbsp lard
½ yellow onion, diced
1 can pinto beans, drained and rinsed
½ chicken stock
½ tsp cumin
Kosher Salt
Black pepper

Assembly

4 bolilos
2 avocados, sliced
1 small bunch cilantro

For the carnitas, generously salt your cubed pork on all sides, mix, and set aside.

To a 5qt dutch oven or pot add the lard. Set over medium high and bring up to 375°F. Once up to temp add your pork. Be careful not to let the oil overflow. Cook for 15-20 stirring often so that nothing burns and everything cooks evenly. Once your pork is deeply browned all over and has a nice crust, remove your pork to a plate.

Turn the heat on your pot down to low and once the lard is at 230°F return the meat to the pot along with, garlic, onion, lime, cinnamon stick, cloves and cumin. Mix to evenly disperse everything. Cook for 2 ½-3 hours adjusting the heat as needed to keep the temperature of the lard between 215°F and 230°F. If the lard gets too hot for too long your pork will dry out.

When your carnitas are cooking, work on the tomato broth. Fill a large pot 2-3 of the way with water. Set over high heat and once boiling add the tomatoes, 3 cloves of the garlic, onion, chiles de árbol and jalapeno. Boil for 2-3 minutes until everything is soft but not overcooked. Transfer everything to a blender along with oregano, the remaining 3 cloves of garlic, salt & pepper. Blend until very smooth. You are looking for a loose salsa texture on this. Optionally pass through a sieve and add your broth to a small pot and keep warm.

For the refried beans, set a pan over medium heat. Once hot, add the lard followed by the onions. Season with salt and cook for 2-3 minutes until softened but no browning. Next add the beans along with the chicken stock. Bring to a simmer and mash until smooth but still with some texture. Add the cumin, season with salt & pepper, mix to evenly combine and keep warm.

For the pickled onions, in a small bowl add the sliced onions along with kosher salt and lime juice. Mix well with your hands and set aside.

Once the time has elapsed on your carnitas and the meat is just about fork tender, add the orange juice, Mexican coca-cola and condensed milk.

Mix to combine and cook for 30 more minutes until the pork is fully fork tender. Remove the pork from the pot to a bowl, let cool until you can handle it. Using your hands or two forks, shred your meat until as fine as you like.

To assemble, slice your boilio but not all the way through. First add some refried beans to the bottom, followed by the carnitas and sliced avocado. Add your torta to a plate and drown it with your tomato broth. Top with pickled onions and cilantro leaves. Enjoy!

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